Window-operating mechanism for greenhouses.



PatentedJuI-y I, I902.

m. PRIOR. WINDOW OPERATING MECHANISM FUR GREENHOUSES.

Applieatiun filed Mar. m, 1902.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC MATTHEW PRIOR, OF WATERTOWN, MAsS'AoHUsETTs.

WINDOW-OPERATING MECHANISM FOR GREENHOUSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,669," dated July 1,1902. Application filed March 14, 1902-. semi No. ,23 (No an.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, MATTHEW PRIOR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Watertown, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an- Improvement in Window-OperatingMechanism for Greenhouses, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like'parts.

My invention is an-improved mechanism for operating ventilating-windowsin greenhouses. Such windows are usually in the roof, and hence it isinconvenient to operate them by hand, and, moreover, there are usually alarge number which it is desirable to open and close oradjust-frequently, and hence it is the custom to provide mechanism foroperating them simultaneously.

My invention aims to provide mechanism of this general character inwhich counterbalancing devices are contained for making it feasible tooperate a large number of windows at once without eifort.

My invention also includes certain special features of constructionwhich enable me to replace and adjust parts without taking down thewhole device and also make the construc View of a-portion of agreenhouse provided.

with my invention, parts being broken away for clearness ofillustration. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, showingcertain constructional details thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional View takenon the line 3 3, Fig. 2.

It will be understood thatwhile I intend my invention primarily for usewith greenhouses its use is not restricted'thereto, but

maybe applied for opening a series'of movable or swinging windows oranalogous parts wherever they may chance to be.

In a bracket or pair of brackets 0,, shown herein as consisting of asingle casting having two arms a a secured to a single base a extendingin two wings at right angles to each other, so as to embrace thecross-beam b at the bottom of the window-frame, are mounted two pinionsc c for operating on the opposite teeth of a rack d, which is pivoted atd to the lower end of the window or swinging object 9.

The pinion c is fast on a shaftf, which, as' herein shown, is providedat one end with a sprocket-wheel f for receiving a sprocketchain foperated by a second sprocketwheel f and crank f located at anyconvenient place in the building.

The pinion c is fast on a shaft 0 preferably extending at both endsbeyond the bracketa and provided with oppositely-wound springs 8's,secured at one end to fixed lugs or any other form of holding devices 0and at their opposite ends held by any suitable means to the shaft, asby cotter-pins '0 As herein shown, the arm a is also provided with aguide-lug a, which serves to keep the rack 01 in line with the twopinions c c.

The supporting '-arn1s 0/ a terminate in hooked ends a as clearly shownin Figs. 1 and 2, and preferably one end of the shaft f is held in abox-like-bracket. g, all the other supports of said shaft beinghook-like, as shown.

The chief advantages ofthe preferred embodiment of my invention as aboveexplained are that in the first place in case a spring or any other partof themechanism breaks it is unnecessary. to take down the entiremechanismor any considerable portion thereof, but only the part affectedneed to be removed,"as, for example, if the spring .9 breaks .thecotter-pin isre'moved and a new spring is put in itsplace.

If thegear or pinion 0 should break, there is no need of removing ordisturbing the shaft .f,pinionc, or rack d of any of the sets ofmechanisms operatedbythe shaft f, nor even those parts at the particularwindowafiected but all that is necessaryis to loosen the pinion c fromthe shaftjc release the two springs, and pull out the shaft 0 so astoremove the broken pinion c, and having placed a new pinion in positioninsert the short shaft (3 and replace the springs.

simply lifted readily from its supporting hooked brackets and havingbeen fixed is replaced, all this being done without disturbing any ofthe remaining mechanism.

A further chief advantage of my invention is the simplicity with whichthe apparatus may be installed, as each bracket a is simply firmlyfastened in place at the proper window and the pinion c and springdevices are then put in place independently for each window,

whereupon the single shaft f for the entire series is hooked in placeand the apparatus is complete. This explanation brings me to anotherprominent feature, which resides in the simple means with which theproper tension of the counterbalancing-springs is obtained. Themechanism having been put in place with the springs not under tension,the shaftf is rotated, so as to raise the windows to threequarters or soof their maximum elevation, and then the cotter-pins c are put in place,so as to retain the free ends of the several springs, and thereupon whenthe windows descend they automatically wind up the springs and placethem under the proper tension for securing the desired counterbalancingeifeets. If the proper tension is not secured in this manner, thewindows are raised, the cotter-pins removed, and the windows are thenraised further before again inserting the cotter-pins, thereby gettinggreater tension, if desired. Also by reason of my invention it willreadily be seen that the springs for different windows may be givendifferent degrees of tension according to the situations required. Forinstance, one window may be larger than another or hung at a differentangle or heavier in construction, in which case it may be desirable thatits counterbalancing spring or springs should be placed under greatertension than the other windows, and it will at once be seen that thisdoes not require any different mechanism or complicate the apparatus ofsaid window with that of the others, but merely necessitates that thesprings of this particular window shall not be secured by theircotter-pins or other fastening devices until said window is raised to agreater extent than that at which the springs of the other windows weresecured, the result being that when all the windows are closed thesprings of this window will be under greater tension than the springs ofthe remaining windows. Also by my invention the thrust of the rack isbrought directly on the bracket and in line therewith, or, in otherwords, there is no liability of causing the shaftfto bind or bend, butits sole purpose is simply to rotate the liftingpinions. Moreover, theshaft is inexpensive in construction, being simply a rod, withoutrequiring any special construction, and this remark applies in generalto the short shafts c and springs and pinions, all of which are ofordinary kinds commonly found in stock for various uses, one purpose ofmy invention being to provide a construction which will enable me toemploy, with the least change possible, materials ready at hand.

Vt hile my invention is preferably constructed according to theembodiment herein shown, it will be understood that various changes andmodifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope thereof.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the kind described, comprising fixed supporting meanscontaining two pinions, a rack engaging said pinions atits oppositesides and secured at one end to the object to be moved thereby, anoperating-shaft for operating one of said pinions, a short shaft securedto the other pinion, and a counterbalance-spring mounted on said shaft.

2. A device of thekind described, comprising a bracket, a rack-barsecured at one end to a movable object and its other end guided by saidbracket, a pinion mounted in said rack to engage one edge of saidrack-bar, a counterbalance-spring adapted to be wound and unwound by therotation of said pinion, a second pinion mounted in said bracket forengaging the opposite edge of said rack-bar, an operating-shaft fordriving said second pinion, said bracket having a hooked outer end, andsaid shaft being removably mounted in said hooked end.

3. In a device of the kind described, supporting means containing twofixed arms, having hooks at their outer ends, two pinions carriedbetween said arms, one of said pinions being removably mounted in saidhooks and the other pinion being at the opposite end of said arms, arack-bar'guided between said arms and in engagement with said twopinions, a counterbalance-spring adapted to be wound and unwound by therotation of one of said pinions, and means for positively-rotating theother pinion for raising the rack and object connected therewith.

4. In a device of the kind described, sup porting means containing twofixed arms, having hooks at their outer ends, two pinions carriedbetween said arms, one of said pinions being removably mounted in saidhooks and the other pinion being at the opposite end of said arms, arack-bar guided between said arms and in engagement with said twopinions, a short shaft passed through said arms and one of said pinions,and acounterbalance-spring secured at one end to a fixed object and atits other end to said short shaft, and adapted to be placed undertension by the rotation of said shaft, and means for rotating the otherpinion.

5. In a device of the kind described, a support, two pinions carriedthereby, a rack-bar between said pinions and in driving engagement withone pinion and driven engagement with the other pinion, means fordriving the latter pinion, a shaft for the former pinion extending atopposite sides thereof, and two counterbalance-springs, one at each endof said shaft.

6. A device of the kind described, including a rack-bar for lifting awindow, and a driving-pinion and counterbalance-spring for cooperatingtherewith, combined with fixed supporting means supporting said rackbeneath said driving-pinion, the thrust of the rack being in line withand borne by said supporting means.

7. A device of the kind described, comprising a series of window-liftingmechanisms, and a single operating-shaft for all of them, said severalwindow-lifting mechanisms including hooked supports provided withfastening means for permanently and immovably fastening them to a fixedpart of

